Newsmax Twitter Watch: Obama Media Blitz, Trump Still Reverberating, More Romney Endorsements

President Barack Obama is not only using the safety of the late night talk show (Jay Leno on Wednesday) to shore up support with his base going down the stretch, he is also blitzing the media. According to a tweet by CBS White House radio correspondent Mark Knoller:

“The Obama Campaign says the pres is doing ten interviews today. Ten! An effort to mobilize swing state supporters to vote early if they can.”
Knoller also notes, in another tweet on Friday morning:
“Pres. Obama's last full-scale,solo White House news conference was March 6th. GW Bush also went 7 months without a news conf in 2004.”  - (@Mark_Knoller)

Leno was also a way for Obama to tout early voting, as Byron York of the Washington Examiner points out:
“Obama uses Leno & Chicago trip as extended pitch for early voting; Romney plans to vote old fashioned way, in MA November 6.” - (@ByronYork)

It is now approaching single digits until the election. And still simmering in the press is Donald Trump’s announcement that he'd donate $5 million to the charity of President Obama’s choice if the commander-in-chief would release his college records and applications and passport records and applications.

Trump appeared on David Letterman on Thursday night and this was some of the media response as the interview unfolded:

From Josh Greenman, opinion editor of the New York Daily News:
“Trump looooves Romney’s stance on China, because China is ‘ripping our heart out.’”
And again:
“A minute after saying China is ripping America’s heart out, Trump admits that he doesn’t know where his Trump brand clothing is made.”
And later:
“Letterman points out Trump’s ties are made in China.” - (@joshgreenman)

Roger Simon of Politico:
“Letterman asks Trump if he is in contact with Romney ‘all the time.’ Trump replies: ‘Yes.’”
And:
“Trump tells Letterman, ‘I have no idea where (Obama) was born.’” - (@politicoroger)


MSNBC’s Toure on a statement by Romney’s national campaign co-chair John Sununu:
“Sununu: ‘Well, I think that when you have somebody of your own race that you’re proud of being President of the United States.’ Wha?” - (@Toure)

Sununu later walked back the statement but the fallout from Sununu’s statement on Twitter seeped into news cycles on Friday.

Ron Fournier, editor and reporter for National Journal Group, tweeted:
“Is it a 'crock" and 'racist' to ask whether race is a factor in voting behavior? Or should we b able to have civil and honest convos on it?” - (@ron_fournier)

Romney picked up two notable endorsements in the past 24 hours.

Washington Examiner editorial page editor David Freddoso tweeted:
“Florida Sun-Sentinel, which endorsed Obama in 08, goes for Romney” - (@freddoso)

And Austin American-Statesman columnist Ken Herman:
“Meat Loaf endorsed Romney today. ‘Mitt, meet Meat. Meat, meet Mitt.’” - (@kherman)

Reaction was mixed on Friday morning’s news that the economy grew at 2 percent annual rate, which was above forecast.

James Pethokoukis of the American Enterprise Institute tweeted:
“WH predicted stimulus would spur 4%+ growth from 2011 through 2014. Instead 1.8% last year, doing the same this year” - (@JimPethokoukis)

Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker, tweeted:
“GDP at 2% -- tough to beat an incumbent in a growing economy.” - (@RyanLizza)